HEREFORDSHIRE Council’s crack down on dog fouling, the Bag it, Bin it campaign has finally reached Ledbury.

It will be the campaign’s final roll out of the year, after previously being launched in Hereford, Ross and Leominster.

A council spokesman said: “The campaign, co-ordinated by Herefordshire Council with its community partners, aims to tackle the problem of dog mess in the county.

“Bag it, Bin it is one element of Herefordshire Council’s wider campaign to encourage responsible dog ownership, including getting dogs and other pets microchipped, making sure dogs have a collar and ID tag, keeping dogs on a lead in public places, ensuring dogs and other pets have regular check-ups with a vet, and addressing noise pollution by minimising dog barking.”

Brand new signage to encourage owners to clean up after their dogs is now in place on Ledbury Recreation Ground.

And Ledbury Town Council, in Church Lane, is providing free dog poo bags for clean ups.

Cllr Durkin, cabinet member transport and regulatory services, said: “We have been delighted with the reception Bag it, Bin it has received throughout Herefordshire. The initiative to encourage responsible dog ownership has been welcomed in Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Ledbury, and even though our campaign has come to a close for this year, the signage, enforcement and principles of dog control are here to stay.

“On behalf of Herefordshire Council, I would like to thank everybody who has made this campaign such a great success, and to the groups and individuals who lend a hand to keep our county clean, tidy and beautiful.”

A single gram of dog waste can contain more than 23m bacteria.

Dog faeces is a common carrier of many diseases, from worms to salmonella and campylobacteriosis.

But a key concern is toxocariasis, which can cause blindness and most commonly affects children aged from one to four.

There are an estimated 8m dogs in the UK, producing more than 1000 tonnes of droppings every day.

A new Public Space Protection Order for dog control came into effect in March 2018, and people can now report dog mess themselves via the Herefordshire Council website.